1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collapsible control lever which is applied to a bicycle or a motorcycle to control the operation of the brake or clutch. The lever will fold itself under any impact or crash so it would not result in serious damage.
2. Description of Related Art
The brake levers or clutch levers of motorcycles of bicycles are generally the most outwardly installed portion on the handlebar. Any strike, impact or even a minor spill could bend or break the levers, for instance, in the event of the motorcycle or bicycle tipping from its kickstand or work stand. Consequently, the rider would have to discontinue the race or off-road riding. It is even more troublesome while the rider is in a great distance away from the city.
There have been quite a few prior arts disclosed, for example, TW patent no. M434721 and M434726, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,720,303, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,611, U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,936, U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,445, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,747, attempting to overcome the above-mentioned issues.
Please refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,611, it disclosed that the collapsible lever includes three sections: a pivot stand 26, a base 66, and a handle 68. The pivot stand 26 is used for fixing the handle. A pivot shaft 60 is further interposed between the pivot stand 26 and the base 64 for providing the base 64 to oscillate in a limiting angle and be braked. The base 64 has two frame portions 92, 98 which are pivoted with each other with a bolt 124. It may provide the frame portion 98 to contact and slide relative to the sliding surfaces 112, 116 of the frame portion 92 with the sliding surfaces 114, 118 of the frame portion 98. The frame portion 98 has an U-shaped mount 96 for pivoting with the hinge pivot 74 to rotate. The combination of the bolt 124 and frame portions 92, 98 is provided an effect of collapsible pivot, and the other combination of the hinge pivot 74, the handle 68, and the U-shaped mount 96 is also provided the effect of collapsible pivot. Because the two pivoting positions have different directions, they provide an effect of multi-directional collapsible rotation.
One of the two rotation directions of U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,611 is the combination of the bolt 124 and the frame portions 92, 98 for providing the handle 68 to pivot upward and downward relative to a bicycle while riding (that is, pivoted with the second axis of rotation 72), and the other thereof is the combination of the hinge pivot 74, handle 68, the U-shaped mount 96 for providing the handle 68 to pivot between the handle grip 24 and a front direction of the bicycle while riding. The rotation angle of the handle 6 is ranged in 30 degree. The sliding surfaces 114, 118, 112, 116 are engaged with each other with convex-concave structures. Once the frame portion 98 is rotated relative to the frame portion 92, the coil spring 136 may be compressed by the flat cap 138 which the bolt 124 is passing through till the convex structure of the frame portions 98, 92 is slid to the concave structure thereof to abut against the coil spring 136 and back to a convex surface which is arranged between two concave surfaces quickly to be positioned while the convex sliding surfaces of the frame portions 98, 92 are abutted against with one another although the sliding surfaces 114, 118, 112, 116 may be slid relative to each other. Therefore, the fame portions 98, 92 may be not reset automatically and may not be operated normally while they are pivoted to a specific angle (that is, the handle 68 is oscillated upward or downward). The coil spring 136 is just provided the function of quickly positioning. Once the handle 68 is pivoted (or oscillated) upward or downward, the handle 68 needs to be manually adjusted to general braking position to provide the operation of brake or clutch. The lever of U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,611 is inconvenient in operation. Simultaneously, U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,611 needs more elements to assemble to achieve the pivot in two different directions. The structure and assembly are complicated to achieve the effect of multi-directional pivot or oscillation to prevent from being damaged. It can be seen that the pivot of the oscillating direction of each combination is linear and two linear movements result in multi-directional pivot or oscillation.
The linear movement of each combination may be not reset automatically. U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,611 analyzed by Kinematic of Machinery may achieve multi-directional pivot or oscillation by a connecting rod which includes three pieces and two axes.
The prior art is used two axes to provide other elements to rotate relatively. The arrangement positions of the two axes are respectively in a forward and horizontal direction and an upward and vertical direction to provide the effect of multi-directional collapsible rotation.
Please reference to U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,936, U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,445, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,747, they disclosed that a collapsible control lever. It includes a handlebar mount 68, an intermediate section 70 and a lever section 72. The handlebar mount 68 is fixed at the handlebar 50 with the clamp plate 76 and the clamp bolts 78. The intermediate section 70 are pivoted to the handlebar mount 68 with a lever pivot bolt 100 to provide the intermediate section 70 to rotate relative to the handlebar mount 68. One end of the lever section 72 has a pivot portion 90 and pivoted to the intermediate section 70 with a deflection pivot bolt 104 to rotate relatively. The lever section 72 is rotated toward the direction distant from the handlebar 50 and provided to rotated outwardly and relative to the intermediate section 70. The intermediate section 70 is rotated relative to the handlebar mount 68 and toward the handlebar 50 and provided the operation of brake or clutch. The above mentioned two rotating directions are limited by the direction of force. It only provides the rotation whose direction is synchronized with the direction of force. It may not achieve the effect of mutual rotation.
The above mentioned U.S. patents, U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,936, U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,445, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,747, are cooperated with the lever pivot bolt 100 to rotate relative to the handlebar mount 68 by the intermediate section 70 so that the lever section 72 and the intermediate section 70 are rotated close to the handlebar 50 together to mainly provide the operation of brake or clutch. The pivot angle forced by an external force is limited. Taking the riding direction for example, it is only provided the lever section 72 to rotate in an angle backwardly. Furthermore, the pivot portion 90 arranged at one end of the lever section 72 is cooperated with the deflection pivot bolt 104 to pivot to the intermediate section 70. Taking the riding direction for example, it is only provided the lever section 72 the rotate relative to the intermediate section 70 in the forward and horizontal direction. From the above mentioned contents, it may be known that the lever pivot bolt 100 and the deflection pivot bolt 104 are almost in parallel and respectively provided the intermediate section 70 and the lever section 72 to rotate close or opposite to the handlebar 50. The rotation angle is limited by the rotation in the forward and horizontal direction. It can be seen that the rotation angle is limited extremely. It is mainly provided the lever section 72 to rotate relative to the intermediate section 70 toward the forward and horizontal direction with the pivot portion 90. It is impossible to provide to rotate in more other angles.
The above mentioned U.S. patents, U.S. Pat. No. 6,393,936, U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,445, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,747, analyzed by Kinematic of Machinery may be achieved the pivot range in forward and horizontal direction and the multi connecting rods include two pieces and one axis.
However, the folded range of each rotation shaft may be limited by the elements which are assembled with each other and only provided two-dimensional folding and rotation in a specific angle rotation range. It must depend on the two rotation shafts to be folded and rotated in three dimensions.
In view of the foregoing circumstances, the inventor has invested a lot of time to study the relevant knowledge, compare the pros and cons, research and develop related products. After quite many experiments and tests, the “collapsible control lever” of this invention is eventually launched to improve the foregoing shortcomings, to meet the public use.